For The Washington Ballet’s Brooklyn Mack, Challenges Feed His Motivation

Photo by Theo Kossenas, Courtesy The Washington Ballet

You made a deal with your mom to take ballet classes in exchange for a ride to tryouts for the football team. How did that work? I thought that I would take ballet for a couple months, become a master and then leave that alone and concentrate on football. Ballet had other ideas, which perplexed me, and ultimately, I think, made me fall in love with it.

How is The Washington Ballet evolving under Julie Kent's leadership?It's still early, but I think that the company is growing stronger classically. And we have Julie, Victor Barbee, Xiomara Reyes and Rinat Imaev—a great team of people who are giving their input and expertise, which is quite helpful.

Mack in 'Swan Lake.' Photo by Theo Kossenas

Sir Frederick Ashton's The Dream was one of Kent's first additions to the rep. You danced the role of Oberon, right? Yes. It was so rewarding. Sir Anthony Dowell came for five days and I absorbed everything I could. He would describe things in a way that would transport you to the fairy world. Even when I wasn't scheduled for rehearsal, I was in the corner soaking it up.

You guest all over the world, but TWB is still home. What makes it special? There's so much diversity. Not just dancers' nationalities, but within the repertoire. We've done a myriad of different styles and ballets, all at high levels, and it's made me proud time and time again.

What has guesting with English National Ballet added to your artistic toolbox?I grow every time I go. They have a phenomenal artistic team and they really prioritize individual attention, which is hard to come by in the U.S.

What ballets are on your bucket list?Kenneth MacMillan's Manon. It's top of the list.

Mack in 'The Dream.' Photo by Theo Kossenas

You've said that you encountered racism during your training. How was it expressed?I would hear negative or disparaging comments, most often from adults. I remember hearing a ballet-master-type say that black people generally cannot do ballet because their bodies cannot conform to the aesthetics required, like it's a genetic thing.

How did you deal with it?When I was 3 my uncle told me that I can do anything that I put my mind to, and to not let anyone tell me differently. I never forgot that. The more people told me I couldn't do something, the more it added fuel to the fire.

What could companies do better?I think it comes down to opportunities and casting choices. But ultimately, I think the larger problem falls with the schools and the teachers. There's often not a high enough level of expectation and attention.

Is there a story behind your name?At the hospital, my mom hadn't picked a name yet, and the nurse was growing impatient to put one on the birth certificate. My sister Sabrina ran into the room and yelled, "His name is Brooklyn Devon Mack." The nurse wrote it down and walked out before my mom could protest. My sister later told me that she loved the lights on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Mack in 'Hamlet.' Photo by Theo Kossenas

Your mother had been a dancer. What kind of career did she have?One day, I was showing her something that I had learned and she suddenly starts telling me what I'm doing wrong. I'm like, what would you know about it? And she said, well, I was a dancer. She danced for Hartford Ballet and another company that doesn't exist anymore, and for a company in Germany.

Do you ever wonder what would've happened if you'd gone into football?I'd be a multimillionaire, right? It would be fun, but ballet is so much more gratifying. There's the artistic and an emotional aspect, the harmony of your physicality matching the music. When all those things come together, it's completely transcendent.

The New York Times reports that a two-month long internal investigation into sexual harassment and physical abuse allegations against Peter Martins, New York City Ballet's former ballet master in chief, has found that the accusations could not be corroborated. In December, an anonymous letter sent to NYCB and its affiliated School of American Ballet accused Martins of sexual harassment, although the claims were non-specific. Afterwards, several former dancers and one current company member came forward to the press accusing him of physical assault and verbal abuse. Martins, who directed the company for 35years and has denied the accusations, retired on New Year's Day after taking a leave of absence. An interim team led by ballet master Jonathan Stafford has been overseeing the company in the meantime.

If you are in need of a feel-good ballet movie night, check this out: Bolshoi, a 2017 Russian coming-of-age drama starring real dancers and filmed on location at the Bolshoi Theater, is now available on multiple VOD platforms. The film follows Yulia Olshanskaya, a scrappy working class kid, as she navigates life at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy and eventually, the company. Like most dance movies á la Center Stage, it's full of the usual ballet clichés. But, like Center Stage, it's also fun, beautifully shot and full of gorgeous dancing (including a mean fouétte turn contest). Polish National Ballet coryphée Margarita Simonova stars as as Yulia, while Anna Isaeva, a former Kremlin Ballet dancer, plays Karina, Yulia's wealthy best friend and biggest competition. Ekaterinberg Ballet principal Andrei Sorokin and former Paris Opéra Ballet étoile Nicholas Le Riche also star.

The film centers on the friendship and rivalry of Yulia and Karina. Discovered by a washed-up Bolshoi star in her industrial town, the rebellious Yulia struggles to fit in once she enters the prestigious Moscow school. But a strict and influential teacher (played by Alisa Freyndlikh) takes her under her wing, and defends her when other school officials want her out. Soon Yulia and Karina are up for the role of Aurora for the school's graduation performance—and the result affects their futures once they enter the company. Flashbacks to Yulia's childhood flesh out her defiant nature, and help make her ultimate sacrifice towards the end especially touching.

Photo Courtesy TriCoast.

One scene that may raise American eyebrows is during the audition, in which young Yulia must wear her underwear. This is typical of Russian ballet academy auditions in order for teachers to evaluate the dancers' lines and proportions (although Yulia's actual audition is pretty far-fetched).The two-hourBolshoi, in Russian with English subtitles, is now available on iTunes, Fandango, Vudu, FlixFling, Hoopla, In Demand, GooglePlay, Dish, Sony Playstation, Direct TV and Microsoft Xbox.

Many dancers struggle with brisé, says Laszlo Berdo, associate director of the Charlotte Ballet Academy. "But once you've mastered it, it's not that difficult." Here's how he helps his students beat the brisé blues.

Hold your turnout: Laszlo Berdo says a common mistake is stepping forward on a turned-in leg in anticipation of the brisé. "You lose the support of that standing leg. Then you have no power to jump," he says. "That plié is your saving grace and control."

Create a line: Berdo notices that some dancers dégagé à la seconde instead of effacé. "It's really difficult to chase that leg into second when you're trying to move forward." He teaches brisé with an open shoulder blade. "The back arm's extension is a reference to the front leg's dégagé. Keep that energy stretching out."

Every ballerina grows up aspiring to nail the fouetté turns in the coda of Swan Lake's Black Swan Pas de Deux. From classic primas like Natalia Makarova to current pros like Gillian Murphy, the 32-fouetté sequence has become so iconic that even our non-dancer friends know about the tricky turns. But yesterday, American Ballet Theatre principal Christine Shevchenko introduced us to a totally new take on the fouettés that we've been watching on a loop, in awe.

Much of what Ballet West soloist Katlyn Addison carries around in her (two) dance bags has been repurposed. She wraps her toes in black hockey tape which her brother, a National Hockey League player in their home country of Canada, ships to her, and she keeps her bobby pins in an old glass salsa jar. "I like to reuse things," says Addison. She totes everything around in shopping bags (one for pointe shoes and sewing tools, one for everything else) from the clothing store Free People.

Alicia Graf Mack has consistently defied just about every limitation and expectation throughout her dance career. She was a leading performer with three incredible companies: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, from which she retired in 2016, Dance Theatre of Harlem and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. She also earned two college degrees in the midst of her performing career (from Columbia University and Washington University in St. Louis, no less) and has even written for Pointe, including our June/July 2014 cover story on Misty Copeland, Ebony Williams and Ashley Murphy. This week we're throwing it back to this wonder woman's 2004 performance of Robert Garland's Return with Dance Theatre of Harlem.